Erin Cline has never thought of herself as particularly athletic, so she's a little surprised to find herself training for a 26.2-mile marathon -- and enjoying it. "I've always been the kind of person who takes the elevator to my second-floor apartment," Cline said.

While she doesn't think of herself as especially athletic, School of Medicine student Erin Cline put mind over matter in order to train for a marathon, all in the name of raising money for leukemia research.

Now, after a lifetime of being picked last for school sports and lifting textbooks rather than weights, Cline is training three times a week to run a marathon, part of the Team in Training for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research, an organization that helps train runners who solicit donations to support cancer research.

Cline, a PhD student in cell biology at Stanford, began her transformation from science whiz to marathon woman only a few months ago, when she got together with a friend who was also running on Team Leukemia. "She really wasn't any more athletic than I am, so I thought if she could do it, I could too," Cline said.

Although Cline reported that the first run she did -- three miles -- was "so hard," but her endurance has been growing steadily. "We recently went on a 14-mile run and it was OK," she said. "After about seven miles you settle into a groove."

The Team in Training from the peninsula includes close to 100 people, Cline said, some of whom are elite runners and some of whom are novices like herself. Team coaches help the runners train as well as assist with fund raising. Cline noted that coaches make sure 75 percent of the money raised goes to charity, while the other 25 percent is devoted to transportation and administrative costs. "The trainers are really good; many of them have backgrounds like sports psychology," Cline said.

Raising money for cancer research resonates with Cline's own interests and background. She doesn't do research on cancer directly, but as a student in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, she investigates how cells interact with other cells and how they orient themselves in layers. Since cells that become cancerous often change the way they interact with other cells, her research may eventually tell us part of the cancer story, Cline said. And since the money raised for leukemia research often sponsors basic science, much of the cash will end up going to labs like her own, providing resources to students like herself.

Of course, being a student hasn't made finding sponsors easy. "Most of my friends are young and don't have a lot of money," she said. Cline has found herself grateful for the support of people in her department and her mother's friends. "I've sent out letters to everyone on my mom's Christmas list," she added.

One part of the training that Cline appreciates is how it's structured to provide motivation for the runners. Every practice session is set up so she's working with other people and has a responsibility to show up. One time a week she goes to the track to work with the trainers on drills. "We do funny drills like walking with the legs really high." On Thursdays, there's a short run (six or seven miles) with a buddy, and then on the weekend the whole group organizes for a long run.

"The way they set up the long runs is that the slower people start first, so that we all finish together," Cline explained. That means she starts an hour before everyone else, but there's no ignominy for the early start. "All the faster runners are cheering us on, applauding," she said. "I always hated PE because no one wanted me on their team, so when they are cheering you on here, it really does help, even though you know they're just being nice."

The other thing that helps motivate the runners is that the trainers bring in patients who benefit from the money raised: people who have leukemia or lymphoma or are in remission.

"They share their stories with you and they really put a human face on all of this," Cline said.

For her, the ultimate motivation is successfully reaching her goal: running the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego coming up in June.